Fondue

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Fondue refers to several Swiss communal dishes shared at the table in an earthenware pot ("caquelon") over a small burner ("rechaud"). The term "fondue" comes from the French "fondre" ("to melt"), referring to the fact that the contents of the pot are kept in a liquid state so that diners can use forks to dip into the sauce. The sauce is usually warmed either by a separate burner containing an alcohol-based fuel or simply by tealights. Though cheese fondues are the best known kind, there are several other possibilities for the contents of the pot and what is used for dipping.

As with other communal dishes, fondue has etiquette standards ranging from practical to amusing. Some people consider it rude to allow one's lips or tongue to touch the fondue fork, and with meat fondues one should use a dinner fork to remove the meat from the dipping utensil. The "no double-dipping" rule applies here as well: once a taste has been taken of a dipped morsel it should not be returned to the pot. If the bread or fruit is lost in the cheese or chocolate, it is tradition for that person to buy a round of drinks or to be punished in another way.

Fondue is a food that became very popular in the United States in the 1970s. Fondue was said to be invented for the purpose of using up old cheese and dry bread. The Swiss also found fondue convenient because of the freezing winters and the scarce amount of fresh food. Having fondue helped the Swiss people have a meal when they couldn’t go out and get fresh food.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Cheese fondue 2 References 3 Fondue Chinoise (broth fondue) 4 Fondue Bourguignonne (deep-fat fondue) 4.1 Pitchfork Fondue 5 Fondue Bressane 6 Dessert fondue 7 Fondue in popular culture 8 External links

[edit] Cheese fondue

The first record of mixing wine and cheese to produce fondue was in 1699 in Zurich, Switzerland. ^[1]Contrary to popular belief, it was not invented by people living high in the Swiss Alps. At the time, the cheesed used in fondue was expensive, meaning most people living in the mountains were unable to afford it. Therefore, during the 18th and 19th centuries fondue was very much a delicacy enjoyed by wealthier people in urban settings.^[2]

Many varieties of cheese fondue exist, each with a unique name and different blend of cheeses, wine and seasoning, depending on where it is made. They are all cooked in a caquelon rubbed with a cut garlic clove. A small amount of potato starch or corn starch or flour is added to prevent separation, often diluted in kirsch. Cubed crusty bread is dipped using a fondue fork. The most common recipe requires 1 dl (100 mL) of dry white wine per person, and 200 g of a mix of hard (such as Gruyère) and semi-hard (such as Emmental, Vacherin or raclette) cheeses. Well-known variations include:

• Swiss Fondues:
  • Fondue Neuchâteloise: gruyère and emmental
  • Fondue Moitié-Moitié: (half-half): gruyère and Fribourg vacherin
  • Fondue Vaudoise : gruyère
  • Fondue Fribourgeoise: pure Fribourg vacherin (often served with potatoes instead of bread)
  • Fondue de Suisse centrale : gruyère, emmental and sbrinz
  • Appenzeller Fondue : Appenzeller
  • Tomato Fondue: Gruyère, Emmental and crushed tomatoes in the place of wine.
  • Spicy Fondue: gruyère, red and green peppers and chilli
  • Mushroom Fondue : gruyère, Fribourg vacherin and mushrooms
• French Fondues:
  • Fondue Savoyarde: comté savoyard, beaufort, and emmental.
  • Fondue Jurassienne: pure mature and normal comté
• Italian Fondues:
  • Fonduta is a variety of two nothern regions of Italy: Aosta valley (Fonduta valdostana) and Piedmont (Fonduta piemontese), and employs fontina, milk, eggs, and truffles

In a perfect cheese fondue, the mixture is held at a temperature low enough to prevent burning, but hot enough to keep the fondue smooth and liquid. Ideally, when the fondue is finished, there will be a thin crust of toasted (but not burnt) cheese in the bottom of the caquelon. In French, this is commonly referred to as 'la religieuse' ("the nun").

While cheese fondue is a traditionally Swiss dish, it was not common until the 1950s, when the slowing cheese industry in Switzerland needed a way to increase sales. Fondue was a perfect solution, permitting a diner to consume a half-pound of cheese in one sitting.

In 1955, the first instant fondue was brought on the market. Modern instant fondues are surprisingly accurate renditions of the homemade product, requiring little more than to be melted in the caquelon just before serving. Individual portions that can be cooked using a microwave oven are also available.

[edit] References

1. ^ News article describing origins of Fondue (In French)
2. ^ Ibid

[edit] Fondue Chinoise (broth fondue)

In this variety of fondue, the diner dips rolled shaved meat (traditionally beef) into a simmering broth. As with fondue Bourguignonne, dipping sauces are served. Fondue Chinoise is named after its similarity to China's Hot pot or Huoguo in Chinese, or steamboat, popular across Asia.

[edit] Fondue Bourguignonne (deep-fat fondue)

In Fondue Bourguignonne, the pot is filled with oil (and occasionally butter) and brought to simmer. Each person spears small cubes of beef meat with a special (long and narrow) fondue fork, and fries them in the pot. An assortment of sauces are provided for dipping.

[edit] Pitchfork Fondue

Fondue being in vogue durring the 1960's encouraged Darrly and Verna of Pindale, Wyoming to thread 8 oz. sirloin steaks on to a pitchfork and deep fry in a cast iron kettle.^{[citation needed]} By the mid 1980's pitchfork fondue was served as a specialty in Wyoming, Montana, and Saskatchewan. Baseball steak is ideal as it has a large surface area and it is one of the few ways to cook baseball steak evenly.

[edit] Fondue Bressane

Small cubes of chicken breast are first dipped in cream, then in fine bread crumbs, and finally deep fried as in Fondue Bourguignonne.

[edit] Dessert fondue

More recently, since the 1960s, dessert fondue recipes have appeared, typically a caquelon of melted chocolate into which pieces of fruit or pastries are dipped. Other dessert fondues include coconut, caramel, and marshmallow.

[edit] Fondue in popular culture

In June 2002, American football players Jaret Holmes and Chris Hanson of the National Football League's Jacksonville Jaguars were severely injured in a fondue-related accident at Hanson's home. [1] The two athletes were moving a fondue pot when it slipped onto a tile floor, causing the two players to suffer first- and second-degree burns. As the accident occurred during the National Football League's offseason, neither player missed games as a result of the injury. "I'm glad that's behind me," Hanson later reported. "Sure, there were times when I sat there and wondered why it happened. But I owe it to the doctors and the Jaguars for fixing me. It's behind me. It's something that happened that wasn't controllable and I'm happy it's over with now." [2]

In an episode of the Canadian comedy Corner Gas, Davis reveals his love for fondue, and Hank tries it for the first time. The episode ends with Davis accidentaly getting a fondue fork stuck in the palm of his hand.

The U.S. restaurant chain The Melting Pot specializes in fondue.

[edit] External links

• "A Classic Swiss Meal: Cheese Puts the Fond in Fondue". Includes links to recipes.
• Fondue Guide
• Fondue Recipes
• Fondue Information